Bonkers!

“Bonkers! Bonks ya out!”

For their considerably short existence, those little chewy candy squares known as Bonkers! made quite the impression. Some will remember their soft pliability, others their flavorful punch. And for anyone regularly watching television in the 80s, it was impossibly not to take notice of their humorous commercials that featured giant fruit dropping from the sky and landing on an unwitting bystander. Whatever the reason, they are a candy that remains sorely missed from legions of fans that still wonder whatever happened to their beloved Bonkers!

Bonkers! was produced by Nabisco in the 80s, and each rectangular package contained numerous individually-wrapped squares of candy (similar to Starbursts.) Each square had a gum-like texture and consisted of an outer layer surrounding an inner pouch of flavorful filling. They were available in flavors such as watermelon, grape, orange, and strawberry. The company later introduced a chocolate version with a chewy fudge center.

The candy was popular, thanks in part to the humorous ad campaign with commercials that ran in frequent rotation. Then, like so many memorable products, one day “Bonkers! simply vanished from store shelves, never to be heard from again. And while nobody would argue that they were enormously successful, it is clear from the affection that remains to this day, that they certainly had a respectable fan base. Perhaps toying on these emotions, another candy company, Joyco, has recently introduced a line of similarly-packaged candy called “Bonkers! But one should be forewarned that they bear almost no resemblance to the original – a candy whose noted absence continues to drive nostalgic fans bonkers to this day.

If you were once a fan of these confectionery morsels of chewy goodness, we welcome all of your thoughts in our comments section.